Pour me a glass of rosé champagne, Dynasty fans. “Filled With Manipulations and Deceptions” pulled me back into its sequin web of catty drama and soapy flair. Dynasty Season 4 may have suffered from inconsistent momentum, but if there’s one thing the series does right, it’s creating a strong season finale. This chapter had everything that made Dynasty the addictive soapy drama that it was. Catfights, outlandish plots, murder (and attempted murder), and the cliffhangers that keep us on our toes for it to come back. If only the overall season had this energy going throughout.
Right off the bat, let’s ignore the possibility of Fallon dying from Eva’s gunshot wound. There is no way the main character of Dynasty will be killed off—the only chance that could happen would be if the main actress chose to leave the series. Much of Dynasty is centered around Fallon’s story, so her leaving would be a noticeable hole plot-wise. If that were to happen, Dynasty could try to recast the role, like Alexis and Cristal, but that would be a bad move. Elizabeth Gillies is electric as Fallon Carrington! Removing her would be like removing an edge to the sharp-witted drama.
Case in point: Fallon’s epic takedown of Eva. It was only a matter of time before Eva would be exposed for the stalker she was and her house of lies would come crumbling down. Liam initially not believing Fallon was frustrating, especially since he took Eva’s word without any doubt. Granted, he was hurt over Fallon’s cheating, but he should’ve given his new wife the benefit of the doubt if something suspicious was afoot; that was just one of the many issues they’ll need to work on in couples therapy. But, all of that frustration paid off in the glorious scene of Fallon and Eva fighting in her office. This fight felt like classic Dynasty and achieved peak soapy drama; Dynasty seriously missed this kind of energy. The series needs to bring the camp back and inject more fun into the storylines.
I loved the stylistic choice of having the three guns being pointed at the same time. “Filled With Manipulations and Deceptions” set up the possibility of any gun going off and killing a target; this added much-needed tension and kept us as viewers hooked right until the final minutes. Between all three options, the Jeff and Beto gunshots would’ve been the more exciting twists, and the bullets hitting someone else besides Fallon would’ve been more gripping. As mentioned above, the chances of Fallon dying are extremely low. Though, someone like Culhane being shot, Cristal, Liam, or anyone else on the political stage would change the odds to any possibility. Eva shooting Fallon, while fine from a narrative standpoint, didn’t deliver the lasting punch that the other options could’ve delivered.
Speaking of Jeff, his space ambition will only hurt the people around him. And now that Fallon has been shot, there’s a high chance that he’ll see the error of his ways and pull himself back from the edge. Culhane and Dominique want the best for him, so they might convince him to start taking his pills again and check his paranoia.
What I’m hoping Dynasty Season 5 won’t do is try to justify Jeff’s distrust of Brady Lloyd by his not taking the medication. Jeff had serious concerns about Dominique’s husband well before not taking the pills and he had proof that Brady was meeting at Alexis’s home. Jeff knows something suspicious is going on—that character tension shouldn’t be washed away because of other circumstances.
For Alexis, she’s going to need to turn against Adam if she wants to get out of jail. I don’t foresee Adam admitting to murder; he’ll most likely frame another person for the crime before he comes clean about what he did. Maybe he’ll pin it on Amanda? Since he called in the fake tip about a woman committing the crime, he has to have someone in mind. So, he’s either willing to throw Alexis under the bus, frame his new sister, or he’ll frame an unsuspecting person coming up in the next season. My money is on the Amanda twist … or they’ll band together to stop Adam once and for all.
Is anyone else sad that Anders’ ghost gave his final goodbye? The moment had to happen eventually, and since it’s the season finale, now was the perfect time to depart. It’s great that he had an emotional farewell with Sam as his final scene. The Sam/Anders dynamic had been one of the cheekier connections on Dynasty since they’re complete opposites and would throw zingers at each other. For all the one-liners, they genuinely cared about one another and Anders did see a lot of potential in Sam, especially since he helped with La Mirage. His parting words was a tender moment and it will be the last thing for Sam in seasons to come.
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“Filled With Manipulations and Deceptions” ended Dynasty Season 4 on a high. We were treated to all of Dynasty’s scandalous elements in one shining chapter, and while there were some bumps, the ending still matched the excitement needed for a season finale. And, it delivered a few new iconic moments to boot. Alexis walking in handcuffs in a designer gown, Eva/Fallon fighting in her office, Dominique discovering the walls of space notes, and the gunshot on stage have joined the list of Dynasty faves. Hopefully, Dynasty Season 5 keeps this momentum going stronger and higher.
Dynasty airs new episodes Fridays at 9 p.m. EST on The CW and streams Saturdays on cwtv.com.
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